


Old age

by Cardinal_Sin (HU_shipper)



Series: Powerwolf Prompt Fics [5]
Category: Powerwolf (Band)
Genre: M/M, Relationship Reveal, coming out as a couple, roel is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 15:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19872157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HU_shipper/pseuds/Cardinal_Sin
Summary: Falk and Matthew have kept their relationship secret for years. The time wasn't right for them to be out. But one strange interview question gets them to think. Is it really a good idea to keep almost half of their lives a secret?





	Old age

It had been just another stupid question. Interviewers tended to ask a lot of those, but usually Matthew would jump in and deflect, guiding the conversation back to things they were comfortable talking about.

Not this time though. Matthew froze up, holding the microphone halfway to his mouth, staring at the man unblinkingly. No one spoke, the interviewer probably jotting this down on a mental sticky note, and them being too dumbstruck to react verbally.

"Uh, sorry," Matthew said suddenly, leaning back on the sofa and forcing a relaxed half-smile, "What was the question again?"

The interviewer repeated the question eagerly.

"How long are you guys planning on doing this?"

Falk could see Matthew struggling to keep his mask intact, to stay professional.

"Well, you know, I'd definitely say we're going to keep this up as long as we can. What we love the most is performing on stage, seeing the fans..." Blah, blah, blah. Matthew was fantastic at derailing overly personal questions. Now all they had to do was endure the rest of the interview and then it would all be forgotten.

\-----

Yeah, that didn't happen. The goddamn question had been floating around Falk's head for days, eating at him during daytime and keeping him up at night. He knew that Matthew had noticed – the man was freakishly good at tuning in to Falk's emotions.

It was just after dinner that Falk had finally snapped. Matthew was finishing up the dishes while Falk was turning on the TV when the question, soft and hesitant, came out of the blue.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hell, he had never even mentioned having any problems. That was both weird and endearing. It sent a new wave of anxiety through him, as well as a surge of affection for his partner.

"Yeah, actually," Falk said, throwing down the remote and falling onto the couch. "You remember that interview? With that woman with the hair?"

"Sure, what about it?" Matthew inquired, sitting down next to him.

"That one question got me thinking. About how long we're gonna do this. Don't interrupt me; I'm not talking about the band." Falk could see the question marks in Matthew's eyes, and took a deep breath, finally speaking his mind. "I mean us. We've been hiding this," he gestured between the two of them, "for years. We can't keep it up. I can't keep it up."

"Falk-" Matthew started, reaching out.

"We're over forty, Matthew, and we're successful! There's nothing against going public and you know that!"

"Falk-"

"And it would be so much easier during tour! You know how much it fucking sucks to be on the road for weeks with practically no PDA? I can't hold your hand while we're sightseeing, I can't give you an

actual hug when you're having pre-show anxiety, we can't go on a date at an actual, good restaurant! That's not how I want to be with you!"

"FALK FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!" Matthew roared suddenly, jumping up from where he was sitting on the couch. "I don't like it either, okay? But I'm scared of losing our fans. There's no one to perform for without an audience! And you know how important shows are to me."

"I know," Falk said, panting a little from his outburst, "But I'd like you to consider this: you might be losing another important thing if things don't change."

Heavy silence descended over them. Matthew was staring down at Falk, his face slowly turning red as tears welled up in his eyes. Falk avoided his gaze, choosing to focus on the toes of his socks. If he had to be honest himself, he would admit that he was feeling terrible for putting Matthew on the spot like that, but he needed a conclusion to his inner turmoil and he needed it as quick as possible.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight," Matthew said quietly.

"Matthew-" Falk started, feeling bad.

Matthew put up his hand in a stop right there gesture.

"I don't want to talk right now, Falk. Go to bed. Sleep on... Whatever this was."

\-----

Things were tense. Tense and awkward. In the days after the fight, neither of them acknowledged it happening. They carried on with their lives, preparing for tour, going to rehearsals, meeting with friends – living. But the tension remained, and although they never mentioned the possibility of breaking up, not just them, but the rest of the band sensed how fast things were going in that direction.

Credit where credit was due: Falk didn't push Matthew to make up his mind after what happened. They started tour with the two of them being completely unlike themselves: Matthew quiet and reserved, Falk lacking energy and humour. Luckily for the fans, this didn't affect their performance; sure, Falk kept his distance from Matthew a bit more than necessary, but his usual banter with Attila and Charles made up for it.

Still, things were shit, once off-stage.

\-----

"Matthew, can we talk for a sec?"

Roel approached him from behind, nervously twirling his drumsticks in his hands. He was already in full makeup, transformed into a terrifying giant instead of his usual, warm and gentle self. It was really fucking intimidating from up close.

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" Matthew asked, adjusting his earpiece for the hundredth time.

"Things are fucked between you and Falk."

"Wow, Roel, thank you. I haven't noticed."

"Matthew, shut the fuck up! I'm trying to help you."

Roel rarely cursed. Only when he was particularly upset.

"So," Roel sighed, trying to calm himself a little, "I heard what you were fighting about."

"What? How?" Matthew exclaimed, his eyebrows jumping up.

"Falk talks a lot with Attila, and since technically he never said that Attila should keep it to himself... In conclusion, here we are."

"That idiot," Matthew hissed, turning on his heel to go and find his boyfriend and knock him the fuck out. He was stopped by Roel's hand closing around his bicep.

"He's scared of losing you, Matthew. He cares more about you than the entire band. It might seem like he's being selfish, but he loves you a lot. Fuck, he's been pining after you since before I came into your lives. And that was ages ago. He just doesn't want anything to get in the way of your relationship."

Oh. So this was where Matthew was supposed to do or say something. He opened his mouth, then promptly closed it again, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He cleared his throat, swallowing a few times to fight off the urge to cry.

"First off," he started weakly, pointing an accusatory finger at Roel, "you can't say shit like that pre-show. This makeup is not water-resistant. Second, thank you."

He finally looked Roel in the eye, taken aback when he noticed the proud expression sitting on his features. Roel placed his hand on Matthew's shoulder, squeezing it a little.

"Don't mess this up," he said before walking away, leaving Matthew there with his thoughts.

\-----

Matthew had an epiphany halfway through the concert. Attila was murmuring the intro to Stossgebet into his mic, the audience chanting with him. And suddenly, Matthew knew exactly what to do. He looked up at Roel and nodded, hoping Roel would understand from that. Roel, perched at his drum kit, shot him a lopsided grin and a thumbs up in return. Matthew took a big breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to calm his nerves.

He almost missed his cue, only just managing to hit the first note. Attila shot him a quick glance to see if he was alright. Matthew nodded and stepped back, letting go of his guitar, letting Attila's voice take over the venue. He stood there during the verse, trying to figure out the best moment to execute his plan.

The lull in the song after his solo, where Attila recited the intro once more, turned out to be the sanest option. Matthew stepped back from the edge of the stage, giving himself exactly two seconds to think about whether or not sacrificing the catharsis of the song was worth it, then one more to mentally slap himself across the face.

He must have blacked out for a second there, because the next thing he realized was that he was standing in front of Falk, whose face was set in a mask of rage and confusion carefully mixed together. Matthew glanced around, noted Charles' confusion and Roel's subtle pride, then turned back to Falk.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Falk hissed. "Go back to your spot, you're fucking up everyth-"

Matthew grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him over the keyboard stand and slammed their mouths together. Distantly, he realized that the quiet part had ended and both him and Falk

were supposed to be playing their instruments, but Falk was melting into the kiss, grabbing onto Matthew's arms to pull him closer, opening his mouth to let Matthew's tongue in-

Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing mattered past the two of them, frozen in the moment forever like mosquitoes in amber, like a statue of ancient times depicting true love.

Falk pulled away to breathe, panting sharply and grinning like a madman, his makeup running down on his face in the wake of his tears. He looked like a wreck, Matthew thought, before realizing he must look just the same. Matthew opened his mouth, already embarrassed, knowing his stupid head would either say something cheesy, or even worse, apologize. Thankfully, Falk spoke up first.

"Your makeup tastes like shit," he said, as drily as possible after such an emotional event. Matthew snorted.

"You're wearing the same thing, what do you think I tasted on that kiss," he said, deadpan, barely suppressing a wide grin.

"It wasn't my stupid idea, I won't take blame for it," Falk grumbled, the corners of his eyes already crinkling in that Falk Maria way.

"Sorry for ruining your favourite song," Matthew whispered, leaning close again to give Falk a small peck on the mouth.

"Uh, hey, lovebirds, can we get an explanation on that?"

Attila's voice filled the venue, making everyone in the audience laugh. Matthew could hear a few sharp whistles coming their way and blushed deeply, thankful for the white paint on his face covering up most of it. He strutted over to Attila and took his microphone.

"Hello, everyone!" He screamed, delighting in the enthusiastic cheer from the crowd. "Sorry for ruining Stossgebet, I owe all of you an apology. I also owe a special apology to my boyfriend-" he paused, waiting for the screaming and whistling to subside, "-who also loves this song. In fact, it is his favourite! Isn't that right, Falk?" He pointed up at Falk, delighting in how he ducked his head in embarrassment before nodding a little, waving at the crowd.

"Well, I better give this back to Attila," Matthew chuckled, gesturing at the microphone with his other hand. "Thank you all for coming out here today! Enjoy the rest of the show!"

\-----

Matthew was scared he would get shit from everyone. Falk looked like he was going to punch him in the face, but it just turned into a bone-crushing hug and a few tears wiped against the coarse fabric of Matthew's vest. Roel pulled him into a half-hug next, patting him on the back and telling him how good he did out there.

Charles and Attila were all grins. Sure, both of them were a little upset that they weren't in on it, and also that Matthew had ruined one of the best songs, but seeing their friends' relationship rise from its ashes was worth a thousand ruined shows.

Sure, interviews were going to get a lot more awkward and personal in the future, and they were probably going to use a good chunk of their fanbase but those were worries for another time. Right now, they just enjoyed the high of the concert and the big Falkew Coming Out Moment.

Because just for a brief moment in history, things were truly perfect.


End file.
